Ive had rotten luck with diesel fuel this year... been switching stations to find better fuel and seem to still run into trouble with my equipment freezing.. Ive been using power service products for a couple years now and this year seems to be problem after problem... I do kinda over treat the fuel but not to much over... any 1 else having trouble ? Lol sorry for the rant but I cant seem to find decent fuel this year
Shouldn’t need a lot of conditioner if good winter fuel is used
Which additive are you using? Just thinking if you're using emergency anti-gel and it's not needed could be causing a problem. Is the fuel going straight into a vehicle or equipment or into a slip tank first? Do you have a water drain that's froze up? Need some more info to try and figure out what's wrong.
I buy about 80 gallons of fuel a week . I use white when I pump it into my transfer tank . As for the red stuff I use it only when I have gelled filters and lines. SO yes It goes into my transfer tank and then into my machines. transfer tank is clean and I have a filter on the tank its self
I'm not familiar with white and red additives but a transfer tank could get condensation in it. What type of filter is on the transfer tank? I only ask because when I was looking there were filters for dirty fuel/sediment and different filters for water. Some filters have a drain as well.
im using power service fuel additives and the filter I got on there is a fuel and water separator I replaced the one on the truck tonight see what happens .
I never liked Power Service, I used it for years but it seemed to gum up when exposed to dirt/gunk etc (which shouldn't be in a fuel system but we all know it is). I've had good luck with Howes, used to buy it by the pallet. If your tank filter is spin-on does it have a water drain? Do you keep it full? That's one step for sure. I also think the way Power Service is made up chemical wise makes over treatment worse for the issues I had as far as the junk and kind of tar like buildup if that makes sense. Try different filters, maybe a different treatment. Do they have winter blend up there? #1?
I don't think there is any commodity that hasn't gone down in quality in the past decade. Gas, diesel, the food we eat, tools, vehicles, you name it. They are really pushing the envelope.
On every study I'v seen.. Howes is #1 out of 100-150 manuf. additives tested by independent labs. Power service, Stanandyne & Lucas weren't even in the top 10.. & Stanadyne & Lucas MAKE injection systems.. They were tested for > Lubricity C-tane & water shedding/absorbing properties.. basically, breaking down water.. The new product from D-Tech wasn't on the market yet.. AND YES>> OVERDOSING a fuel system w/ additives will do more harm than good.. & any product that says it wont hurt the system is either lying or their product is snake oil..
For cold weather I go with new filters on the engine & keep a spare in the tool box . Just treated fuel yesterday with the Power Service fuel supplement . http://powerservice.com/psp_product/diesel-fuel-supplement-cetane-boost/ Also keep some power service 911 in the tool box . http://powerservice.com/psp_product/diesel-911/ Most of my engines are Cummins & Detroit ...... We do have one stray Yanmar diesel in the skid loader . If it gets crazy cold fill the tank with Jet A / Kerosene fuel .
Any of you guys on the NAT site? Holy cow, I swear most of these guys just moved in from Arizona, and have never ran a diesel engine before. It isn't hard to sort the real guys from the newbies from the paranoid over-doers. I monitor the forecast, and fill accordingly. This -20 stuff had been forecast for over a week. I've had everything inside since last week, and the hoe and loaders have 50/50 in them. If I'd have had to keep anything outside, it would have had straight #1. I used to use Howes, Power Service "supplement" is quite a bit cheaper so we switched to that a couple years ago. I will not use the 911. I think being smarter than the cold has more to do with things than the brand of additive, YMMV.
everything gets fueled up after use. I guess Imma start doing 50/50. I never had an issue till this year. maybe the tank in my truck is leaking water into the fuel who knows. Im sure ill figure it out
I use a Canadian blend. Its called P40 around here. Never ever had a problem with fuel gel with it and some of my machines have lived outside since birth. 35 below yesterday and thats not windchill numbers.
Its - 30 here this morning I've only ever been jelled up once about 20 years ago I forgot to top up with winter fuel like I always do in early Dec. I had my snow blower tractor freeze up on a nasty stormy - 25 day I had to tarp up and put the heat to it change the filters dumped some road fuel from the local gas station in it, bleed the lines and away it went. So for years after that I was always paranoid and used howes conditioner put card board in the grill everything I could think of, but over the years I've gotten over it now all I do is make sure I keep everything over half full and top up my bulk tanks with seasonally adjusted fuel ( shell only but any national brand I'm sure would be as reliable ) and I never have any trouble. I guess I should add everything I own is never outside winter or summer, in unheated storage, if I ever needlessly left something out side even for the night my Dad would come back from the grave and kick my azz.
I hear ya Shimmy>> its like 90% of the folks on the TBN site.. I like to go there for a laugh now & then.. The thread starts out.. Hard Start.. Then it goes on to say, its -10* & their machine is hard to start..& they don't know WHY.. Lol OR its -10* & my tractor wont turn over.. "any suggestions?" MOST don't know WHERE the battery is OR if it has glow plugs.. let alone what the battery voltage is OR HOW to check a glow plug.. OR WHAT engine is in it.. its frustrating "trying" to help these guys.. BUT.. I struggle thru it, "most of the time." other times I just skip the thread..
. Ain't that the truth TPG, one time a bloke who had brought a new JD tractor and mower was bitching that the mower was cutting higher one side than the other and the dealer wouldn't come and fix it. Well 3 pages of crap latter I'd had enough, told him to read the operator manual, measure the draft arms, check the rear tyre pressures, learn to pick up a spanner and stop harassing the dealer. I got no thanks for that except from other posters.
Pretty obvious what my handle is, what're your guys on there? Just so I know who not to rile up?
You'll be right Shimmy cause you're one of the 10%. ;-)
I'm the pumpguysc on ALL the sites.. I aint hidin..lol
What are the TBN and NAT sites?
SO i was overlooking my fuel too much.... And found a bad pick up tube in the tank .... machine is moving snow again
I'm not sure about the TBN, but NAT is New AgTalk. https://talk.newagtalk.com/category-view.asp Edit: Upon further investigation, TBN could be one of several forums, but I'm guessing is TractorByNet.
I hope that's a good thing?
Your correct Shimmy.. tractorby net
Even if the fuel is treated and has good pour rate at thirty below knowing how to start a diesel is the key issue. Before the key is turned I preheat the intake air and it never fails to start quickly. Truck Shop
only time i ever gelled one of my cars up was when i went to a local near home station that the local companies fueled there dump truck up but in winter they didnt do much so the volumn going thru that gas station went way down , my car barely tried to start afterwork , stayyed at a coworkers house overnite as i lived an hr away took me all day to get it running again once i got it going i sped up the throttle with a brick and let it run all thru second shift to burn off the fuel and filled up at the truck stop after work never buaght fuel anywere else again if i did i treated it with fpf polar power, i gelled running a correct dose of power service i will never use it again , glad you found your fuel problem so quick . as long as i buy diesel from a truck stop in winter i dont treat fuel (that was for when i lived in michigan ) now i dont worry about it and have a gasser if one of my diesels wont start when it gets real cold they usually will buy the time i get home
Actually the best diesel additive is to keep the fuel filters changed out regularly and run clean fuel. You get what you pay for with cut rate fuel and fueling at places with new tanks and filters on their pumps helps. Truck Shop
Howes in the winter and ATF in the summer. The fuels of yesteryear seemed better and that ethanol is the worst
I never Had a problem with ethanol in Michigan lawn mowers and lawn equipment dirt bikes street bikes cars boats carberated fuel injected did t matter . Moved to North carolina my trouble free street bike is a carb nitemare now and I have had to change lawn mower carb 2 times in a few years . Chainsaw and string trimmers constantly rot fuel lines off. I never had that problem up north . Cars are only thing trouble free now cuz they are flex fuel .
You pour ATF in a tank of diesel around here and you just got a ticket for off road diesel in your tank if checked by DOT. One quart will turn the tank red. And DOT does spot checks on a regular basis. Truck Shop
Yep, and more and more they are targeting one tons too. (ask me how I know). Awhile back they had a checkpoint at the hay scales in George and pulled in every diesel that went by looking for farmers running red in their pickups, they made a few bucks that day.
A couple years ago at our local rodeo the ministry showed up and started walking down the rows of pickups in the parking lots dipping tanks and writing tickets, our mayor was a committee member on the rodeo, he went at the cops and the ministry and they listened, they have never pulled the same sh!! again.
I doubt anything like that will happen here. They like the money they can collect too much.
I do the same thing in the hydraulic forum of TBN. -Where is my filter? -How do I change oil? Why is it milky? Can I use old engine oil? -How do I connect quick-disconects? -My home-made logsplitter...overheats....too slow....what size pump....what size cylinder.... -I have a gray market Kobuta and need... Sometime you get tired of yelling at the computer screen. ISZ
Guys... TBN bills itself as the "Compact Tractor Forum" The suburban homeowner with a compact tractor is likely the biggest & bad-assed machine in the neighborhood. Few TBN members will have the experience or a machine worthy of "Heavy Equipment Forum" Although I can say a shovel in July qualifies for "heavy" equipment after an hour in our soils. That said, I appreciated the HEF help as a hobby machine operator. You guys got my injection pump flex ring problem right.
Your right HP.. "Compact Tractor Forum" & "Suburban homeowner".. The questions are funny.. at any time there is someone asking, "how do I turn-up my diesel lawn mower".. What?? & WHY?? THEN they buy the NEWEST, CHEAPEST, GREY MARKET tractor they can find, "in their price range" & then bit*h because there is no dealer support.. or the b. hoe supports broke.. or they cant find fuel filters.. ..& naturally they didn't change the filters till there was a "problem".. & after they screw it up ROYALY, they take the machine to THE DEALER & complain that it took 3 MONTHS to get back & it STILL wasn't right.. OH< & lets not forget, the dealer is 250 miles away.. 1 way... & they have to rent a trailer to get it there.. Lol Does ANYONE travel 200/300 miles to "buy a NEW" grey market machine?? seriously..
We have had more issues this year but we have not had -15 in a while. The pickups did not want to start but they are filled at the gas station. Had a skid steer today with hell on the filter that had 911 added the day before. I'm going to have to revise how we do things.
probably got sold some bio fuel...sheet is garbage.
I am certain something as to diesel has changed up, getting reports here and elsewhere as to nasty fuel, watered fuel, gelling that will not control. Can't be unique if everywhere, a new additive they are trying for lubricity, mixing a percent bio, something is nasty.
Now that you mention it, there have been way more posts about gelled fuel than the temps would indicate. I don't have enough real world experience with this winters fuel but I've never seen so many issues for typical winter temps.